Extremely Hungry...

E

ErinsMommy

New member
Lately, it seems like no matter how much i feed erin, it just isnt enough. I have tried to get the doctors and nurses to increase her feeds but they say that it would be too hard on her belly. Erin is 3 months old now and she eats 6oz of formula every 3 hours w/ 1 and a half capsuls of enzymes. I guess her nurses say it is a cf thing... has anyone else had children that act like they're literally starving??
 
J

JazzysMom

New member
Many CF children are bottomless pits. My appetite eased up as I got older. I did experience a surge while taking iv steroids in the hospital. I could be completely full (or at least part of my stomach felt that way) yet the I was still hungry.
 
C

cfgirl2008

New member
Somtimes when I eat about an hour later my stomach seems likes it really starving to death. Don't know why though. So don't feel like your daughter is the only one with that.

Tiffany 15 w/cf
 
A

anonymous

New member
Hi,
My daughter was like that before we found out she had CF, she would eat whole hamburgers and fries! This was when she was just one year old. But now that she is taking the enzymes her appetite has really decreased, she hardly eats at all and she is even getting a little pudgy. Which is good for her because she was really small before they diagnosed her.
Maybe they should encrease her enzymes? Is she pooping too much of the formula out...large stools?
This probably doesn't help but you might want to think about it.

Lynsey-Mom to Avery 2yrs w/o CF and Rhett 7mos. no CF
 
B

Beth

New member
I dont have cf but I have been on prednisone before for asthma and let me tell you about a bottomless pit. I dreaded going to work becaus I could not eat all day long like I felt like doing. I can only imagine what it would be like to feel like that everyday.


Beth
 
B

Beth

New member
I almost forgot my sister is the one with CF and when she was little, before she was diagnosed, she would eat nonstop. Our sitter once called my mom because she ate 5 large bowls of cereal for breakfast and it was time to make lunch and she was still hungry. My mom laughed at her and said this was normal. She was around age four and could eat more than me and my dad put together, and we are both big eaters.



Beth
 
A

anonymous

New member
You may also want to open a fresh bottle of enzymes. Sometimes they lose their effectiveness long before the expiration date (we had that experience 6 months prior to expiration date). If her enzymes are working properly, she shouldn't be THAT hungry. I mean she will be more hungry than your "average" non cf child, but she shouldn't act like she is starving. I am curious about her bowel movements. That will tell you how much nourishment your daughter is actually absorbing.

My experience with my son was that he acted and ate like he was starving. But that settled down after he was diagnosed and started taking enzymes. He still eats quite a bit, but it's nothing like it used to be.

Good luck!
Jena
4 yr old son with cf
1 yr old daughter no cf
 
E

ErinsMommy

New member
about a month ago, erin was taking one full capsul of enzymes with her 6oz. she was pooping LOTS every time she ate. then they increased her to one and a half capsuls for 6oz. she still poops quite a bit but not nearly as much. i asked them to switch her to two capsuls and they said it wouldn't be necessary.
 
E

Emily65Roses

New member
My parents like telling me this story about me when I was still a baby. Every single night I'd wake up screaming my head off somewhere around 12-1ish. They had NO idea why. My dad walked me up the road a mile and back, took me on drives, they changed me, etc etc. *Nothing* worked. Finally they decided they'd try to feed me. That worked. lol. Apparently every night after a few hours of sleep, I'd wake up screaming, and they stuff my face with a number 3 Gerber glass bottle of food (you guys know how there's 1s, 2s, and 3s -- 3s are the biggest lol), usually bananas or vanilla custard stuff. That permanently solved my middle of the night baby screaming. That story always makes me laugh. Hah. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">
 
A

anonymous

New member
Erin's mommy
First of all, your doctors are CF specialists, right?
I assume they are recommending that you feed her more than the average non-CF child, correct?
Obviously, us CFs require more food than normal folks. She probably is hungry is my guess. I would seriously talk to the doctor about increasing her food intake especially if her weight is an issue. I would use your mother's intuition if they won't agree and you just feel that more is needed.
The question previously asked about her stools maybe wasn't specifically asing how many stools a day, but the consistency of the stools--are they runny, formed, somewhere-in-between, etc?
 
E

ErinsMommy

New member
her cf doctors are specialists, yes.
babies her age, should only be eating 4-5 oz when they eat. she eats 6-7. but it's still just not good enough for her.
her stools are runny and she poops probably around 6-7 times a day. and VERY smelly. EXTREMELY smelly. but they told me that was normal too.
 
A

anonymous

New member
Just my non-medical opinion--take it with a grain of salt.
If her stools are runny, this may be an indication of mal-absorbtion, thus explaining her always being hungry. Have they played with her enzyme dosage or even tried different brand name enzymes, or different formula for that matter to see if the stools improve?
The smelly part is going to be a lifetime thing, sorry to say<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif" border="0">
 
E

ErinsMommy

New member
oh the smelliness doesn't bother me at all.
yes they've played w/ her dosage they have not tried to switch the brand yet and they've tried to switch her formuka but right now she's on enfamil ar which is the added rice and when they tried taking her off that, she threw up. the added rice helps keep it in the tummy. and i don't think she's not absorbing because she's gaining weight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top